Chains Saga pt3
by Dax Jackson
Summary: Chains starts his education at Beacon, and a certain classmate has their eye on him. What does being a Mercenary mean?


I stand at some sort of stage in front of thousands of other students. I wish I had time to clean myself up, I have Beowulf blood on my jacket and my jeans. My grey hair is messy and perforated with twigs. Ruby is farther up the line, and she leans and waves at me. She's got an enormous smile on her face, she must have done well. The white haired girl stares coldly into the distance, ignoring Ruby's excited chattering. A beautiful blonde, Ruby's sister, is waving at her admirers in the crowd. A black-haired girl is reading a book. The orange-haired girl is jumping up and down, her black-haired friend trying to hide his face. I can see that he has a streak of purple, surprising for such a quiet guy. A blond guy with a normal sword is talking with a red-haired goddess of battle. She looks beautiful, but all her attention is on the blonde guy. As the man who brought me here calls their names and teams, I realize that I would've liked to be paired up with any of them. Knowing their names makes me think that I could be friends with them. Beacon could turn me into the guy with a lot of friends, the friendly guy who has friends in every group. "Now allow me to present a very special person.", the Professor, which I decide to call him, says, looking at me. "Mr. Chains Alister has earned the highest possible position in Huntsman training. For killing an adult Nevermore and retrieving the red cross, Alister has earned the title of 'Mercenary'", he says, gesturing at me kindly. He used the name I gave to myself, no one but Ruby knows my real name. Good. The older students must know about the Mercenary, because they're cheering and screaming as if I'm some sort of celebrity. The other four-people teams stand in absolute shock. Some of them have heard about it, I haven't. "For those of you who don't know, the Mercenary is not a part of any specific team. He shall be available to all the teams as additional assistance. This year's mercenary will also be taking solo missions from the faculty.", he says, gesturing to all the teachers who stand behind him. They look at me, appraisal in their eyes. This role they're giving me is apparently a big deal. On one hand, I'm excited, proud, and ready to work at my new job. On the other hand, I'm disappointed. Beacon was supposed to change me, but even surrounded by people who cheer for me I'm alone. They present me with a set of armor, modeled after my weapons and appearance. I don't know how they got my measurements, but it fits perfectly. The armor itself is black, with sharp edges and a blood-red cross on the breastplate. I stand at attention, and my grey eyes scan the crowd. Everyone is either stunned silent or cheering with all their might. I see a couple of guys who shoot jealous daggers at me through their eyes. I remember their faces and store it in my mind in case I need to defend myself. I look behind me, and Ruby is astonished. John is clapping, and Yang is pumping her fist in the air. Nora is bouncing around everywhere, and Ren gives me the thumbs-up. The white-haired girl is looking at me, but I don't recognize her expression. She notices me looking at her, and she turns away, her face red. She must embarrassed to recognize me after our first meeting. While the other teams get dorms together, I get my own room. My room is right next to Ruby's team. I can't get over the fact that Ruby is the leader of a team named after her. I know she's that good, but I used to think I was the only one who knew that. Now everyone knows her name, but they also know mine. "Wow, a Mercenary! That's super cool!", Ruby exclaims, her eyes shining. "Are you going to charge the other teams when you help them?", Nora asks, totally in support of the idea. Yang slaps me on the back. "You better work with us a lot, alright?", she asks expectantly. I don't really know what to say, these people want to be my friends. We talk for a while before we head to our rooms. I use half of the night to customize my armor, editing it so that it folds into my backpack. I control it with a switch on the singular strap. I'm walking back from the mechanic's shop, pleased with my creation. I turn a corner, so lost in my gearhead mind that I run right into Weiss. We both land on our rear ends, but I'm up quickly. I extend my hand to help her up, but she brushes it aside. "What the hell, Alister?", she demands, walking up close to me. She's pretty, but her eyes are full of scorn. I shrug, muttering apologies. I walk past her, my head down. "How did you get such a high position, anyway? Our team was the one that fought the Nevermore.", she says defiantly, her arms crossed. I smirk. "I killed its mother. Good night, Weiss.", I say, walking away without looking back. Once I'm out of sight, I slump my shoulders. I don't know how she got on Ruby's team. I go to my room, falling asleep as soon as I flop onto my comfy bed. I wake up to the sound of people running in the hallways. I must be late. I throw my clothes on, refusing to forget my backpack. I see Nora running to class, and that helps. My morning classes are with John's team, who is right behind Nora. I run with them, calling out a few breathless greetings. A group of students stand in a group in the upcoming hallway, and John's team goes around them. I don't have time. I run along the wall over the living obstacles, rolling to soften my landing and keep my momentumw going. We barely make it to class, finding our seats milliseconds before the bell rings. I sit in the very back, John's team gasping in the row in front of me. The class itself is boring as hell, some old dude with a mustache that hides his mouth is droning on about monsters of Grimm. Nothing new for me. Leaned back in my chair, I have my legs up on the desk. I'm about to fall asleep before I hear a smug, "Why don't you do it, Mr. Alister?" The lecture king is looking up at me expectantly. I come down the steps, my hands in my pocket. I hear snickers, but my new friends seem worried for me. There's a cage on the lecture stage, and I can sense a monster in there. The professor stands at the ready, counting down from five. I look at my audience, all of them eagerly watching. I see a girl in the front, bunny ears poking out of a pretty brunette head. She's looking at me specifically. The lecturer is at two, and I bend my knees. I flip the switch, donning what I decided to call the Nightshade Armor. I draw my swords, ready to defend. The cage is open, and a Grimm boar charges at me like a bullet. I would know. I roll out of the way, but the boar circles back. I slash my swords as it barrels past, but its hide is impenetrable. It starts to spin itself, becoming a spiky ball of death. "Oh hell.", I curse under my breath. The rotating death ball comes at me, and I barely jump over it. I turn to the boar in midair, and the sight brings a smile to my face. I throw one blade at the ground in front of my prey, speeding me directly at the target. My other sword goes straight into its heart, killing it instantly. The room bursts with applause, and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. The pretty bunny-haired girl is clapping with everyone else, eyes bright and a smile on her face. Something about her smile being aimed in my general direction suffocates me. My heart rate rises to the point that it aches pleasantly. "Very good! That was superb work, Mr. Alister!", the old man says, clapping his surprisingly firm hand on my shoulder. The period bell rings, and I call my armor back to its home in my backpack. I walk out with my friends, and they are all in awe. "Such amazing weaponry!", Pyra exclaims, almost beside herself. "How does your armor do that?", John asks, dumbfounded. "That was amazing! You completely killed that pig!", Nora says, punching me in the shoulder. "It was a boar, Nora.", Ren says tiredly, nodding to me. I know that's just a quiet guy's way of communicating approval, I was quiet, just like him. My other classes where comparatively boring, and I sleep through most of them. Whenever I'm awake, however, I can feel the bunny-eared girl's eyes on me. I go to lunch, where my to favorite teams are meeting. All those people in one room, I hope I don't snap.


End file.
